Negre's Negatives

NEGRE S NEGATIVES ’

Weekly transmission 14-2018 presents: In photography, a negative is an image in which the lightest areas ...

Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose ...

Weekly Drawing by éophile Bouchet: “Negre’s Chimney Sweepers” Some Negatives from Charles Negre ree vintage photography shows to be Previous transmissions can be found at:

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“In photography, a negative is an image in which the lightest areas of the photographed subject appear darkest and the darkest areas appear lightest. This reversed order occurs because the extremely light-sensitive chemicals used to capture an image quickly enough for ordinary picture-taking are darkened, rather than bleached, by exposure to light and subsequent photographic processing.

Negatives were once commonly made on a thin sheet of glass rather than a plastic film, and some of the earliest negatives were made on paper.

The e-bulletins present articles as well as selections of books, albums, photographs and documents as they have been handed down to the actual owners by their creators and by amateurs from past generations.

The glass negayives are available, price list on demand.

N°14-2018. NEGRE’S NEGATIVES

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Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of nitrocellulose “Collodion is a flammable, syrupy solution of « nitrocellulose » (also known as "cellulose nitrate", "flash paper", and "gun cotton") in ether and alcohol. Collodion is often used as a surgical dressing or to hold dressings in place. When painted on the skin, collodion dries to form a flexible nitrocellulose film. Nonflexible collodion is often used in theatrical make-up.

Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, and flash string) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. When used as a propellant or low-order explosive, it was originally known as guncotton.

Partially nitrated cellulose has found uses as a plastic film and in inks and wood coatings.

In 1862 the first man-made plastic, nitrocellulose (branded Parkesine), was created by Alexander Parkes from cellulose treated with nitric acid and a solvent. In 1868, American inventor John Wesley Hyatt developed a plastic material he named Celluloid, improving on Parkes' invention by plasticizing the nitrocellulose with camphor so that it could be processed into finished form and used as a photographic film.

Celluloid was used by Kodak, and other suppliers, from the late 1880s as a film base in photography, Xray films, and motion picture films, and was known as nitrate film.

After numerous fires caused by unstable nitrate films, "safety film" (cellulose acetate film) started to be used from the 1930s in the case of X-ray stock and from 1948 for motion picture film.” (wikipedia)

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Around 1846 Christian Friedrich Schönbeins was working in the kitchen of his home in Basel, he spilled a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid on the kitchen table. He reached for the nearest cloth, a cotton apron, and wiped it up. He hung the apron on the stove door to dry, and, as soon as it was dry, there was a flash as the apron ignited. His preparation method was the first to be widely imitated—one part of fine cotton wool to be immersed in 15 parts of an equal blend of sulfuric and nitric acids. After two minutes, the cotton was removed and washed in cold water to set the esterification level and remove all acid residue.

It was then slowly dried at a temperature below 40 °C (about 100 °F). Schönbein collaborated with the Frankfurt professor Rudolf Christian Böttger, who had discovered the process independently in the same year. By coincidence, a third chemist, the Brunswick professor F. J. Otto had also produced guncotton in 1846 and was the first to publish the process, much to the disappointment of Schönbein and Böttger.

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Jules Verne viewed the development of guncotton with optimism. He referred to the substance several times in his novels. His adventurers carried firearms employing this substance. The most noteworthy reference is in his From the Earth to the Moon, in which guncotton was used to launch a projectile into space.

On May 2, 1887, Hannibal Goodwin filed a patent for "a photographic pellicle ... especially in connection with roller cameras", but the patent was not granted until 13 September 1898. In the meantime, George Eastman had already started production of roll-film using his own process... Goodwin's patent was sold to Ansco, which successfully sued Eastman Kodak for infringement of the patent and was awarded $5,000,000 in 1914 to Goodwin Film.

Nitrate film was used for X-ray photography for some time, where its flammability hazard was most acute, and thus in 1933, became disused for such purposes, along with its uses for motion picture films in 1951, where it was replaced by safety film with an acetate base.

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Once burning, it is extremely difficult to extinguish. Immersing burning film in water may not extinguish it, and could actually increase the amount of smoke produced. Owing to public safety precautions, the London Underground forbade transport of movies on its system until well past the introduction of safety film. Nitrocellulose was found to gradually decompose, releasing nitric acid and further catalyzing the decomposition (eventually into a flammable powder). Decades later, storage at low temperatures was discovered as a means of delaying these reactions indefinitely. The great majority of films produced during the early 20th century are thought to have been lost either through this accelerating, self-catalyzed disintegration or through studio warehouse fires.

Magicians' flash papers are sheets of paper or cloth made from nitrocellulose, which burn almost instantly with a bright flash, leaving no ash.

Nitrocellulose lacquer was used as a finish on guitars and saxophones for most of the 20th century and is still used on some current applications. t is used to coat playing cards and to hold staples together in office staplers.

Nail polish is made from nitrocellulose lacquer as it is inexpensive and dries quickly.

Because of its explosive nature, not all applications of nitrocellulose were successful.

In 1869, with elephants having been poached to near extinction, the billiards industry offered a US$10,000 prize to whomever came up with the best replacement for ivory billiard balls. John Wesley Hyatt created the winning replacement, which he created with a new material he invented called camphored nitrocellulose—the first thermoplastic, better known as celluloid.

The invention enjoyed a brief popularity, but the Hyatt balls were extremely flammable, and sometimes portions of the outer shell would explode upon impact. An owner of a billiard saloon in Colorado wrote to Hyatt about the explosive tendencies, saying that he did not mind very much personally but for the fact that every man in his saloon immediately pulled a gun at the sound...� (Wikipedia)

Weekly Drawing by éophile Bouchet: “Negre’s Chimney Sweepers”

Weekly Drawing by éophile Bouchet: “Negre’s Chimney Sweepers”

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SAVE THE DATE OF TWO SHOWS IN NYC AND ONE IN PARIS Photographic Show at Hotel Watson next Friday April 6

NYC Vintage Photo Fair opens for early birds on Friday at 8:00am

Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on Saturday April 7 and Sunday April 8

New York Photography Fair for collectors, curators, galleries and dealers

Paris Table Fair at Pavillon Wagram on Saturday April 14

Pavillon Wagram (Former hot gambling Cercle Wagram), 47 avenue Wagram, Paris

Serge Plantureux Expertises et investigations 80 rue Taitbout F-75009 Paris Number 14th of the Weekly Transmission has been uploaded on Thursday 5th April 2018 at 15:15 (Paris time) Forthcoming upload and transmission on Thursday 12th April 2018, 15:15 expertises@plantureux.fr